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It's been pretty wet in northeast Ohio this summer. These guys haven't had much time in the lawn. Great day to give them some fresh air.

After selling my C-200 with loader to MRC, which I of course regret, and the John Deere 112 with Johnson loader, I always wanted to find another one. I saw this for sale mounted on older Sears rider. It was listed on Craig's List and Ebay. I e-mailed the seller and asked if he would sell the loader separate and how much or if he was interested in any trades. He gave me a price and asked me what I had for trade. I have been sitting on that little Kitty Track dozer for a few years and seeing as the amount of work it needed and the cost just to have replacement tracks made ($800 with the chain links!), I offered it up in trade. He accepted and I picked it up yesterday up in Massachusetts (Actually really close to Wallfish). Apparently it was designed for the Bolens 800, 900 and 1000 series tractors. It has a trip bucket but they offered a hydraulic tilt kit. I have the manual that shows all the parts so that may be in order. Going to drop it off at the sandblasters next week and have him go to town on it. I believe he also does epoxy priming too. Today the kids helped me off load it and we rolled out the Diesel Ranger to see how it would look if I mounted it on it. I think the ranger is a touch to small. Maybe a "CERTAIN 702" might be in order to mount it on ! No matter what tractor it does end up on I'll have to fabricate the front and rear mounts which is really no big deal. These little midget loaders are almost impossible to find and this one is never going to leave my sight!

Here's the pics. I have an original air filter coming soon.

Well boys & girls , I feel I should update you all on my current state . Last month , I was fired from my job of 13 years for a really dumb reason . Partially my fault but it was really a blessing in disguise . I was absolutely miserable there but made good dough & when this happened after the shock wore off ( about a day ) I realized there is waaay more to life than just money . Took a huge pay cut but with the house paid off ( just the month before ) & no car / pickup payments , this is do-able . I was working again 2 days later for a little outfit where you're actually treated like a human being rather than the contents of a bag on a Halloween porch prank . We do most of outr work for General-Mills hauling their finished product to various local customers . Today I was training on "bulk" flour where I load several trailers & the road guys haul them to where they need to be . Its been 13 years since my boss whacked me on the shoulder & said " nice work , man " .

Better leave that one alone. It's got money pit all over it. Even if it was free looks like it would take you to the bank. No sir my advise is to just turn and walk away.

Based on the pictures and the description you gave it may not be a total POS. If you are mechanically inclined and don't mind correcting the previous owner's shortcomings I would suggest offering him $150, that will give you some extra cash to work with. If this was in average condition with a good deck it would probably be worth $500 to $600.

Whole place smells like Cheerios! I love it!

Here's pictures of the dozer. You can see the John Deere 112 with the Johnson 10 Loader in the background I used to have. The dozer looks a lot better in the pictures then in person. The tracks and track links are shot. This thing sat outside for a long time and water collected inside causing rot holes through the under carriage.

I am going to 2nd this, by the time you dump money Into it and then discover whatever else might be wrong. Keep looking. Glenn Curiosity has me, what is the price? Ty Glenn

I was under the assumption that you already purchased this... But knowing that you havent, I would go for $50 or go look for a better condition (or at least mostly original) horse. The wiring from that swap will probably be a nightmare. From what I hear, there's usually a pretty good selection in and around PA.

Very cool. I'd hotrod the hell out of that thing! I'm picturing some go cart slicks tucked up underneath the rear and a pumped up engine. Custom exhaust poking out in front of the rear wheels....

Yes, Terry is right. The early Lawn Rangers dont have hubs, they have a keyway in the wheels and are secured by a setscrew and locknut.

I simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to own one. The snowblower alone is probably worth $1000+, so $2500 for both a moderately used 522xi in perfect working order and the blower plus the blade seemed like a deal not to miss. From checking various parts suppliers, the prices seem about the same as 520-H parts I have purchased recently. The used market is slim pickins, but as robust as the 5xi series is, I am not surprised. There aren't many of them that are only good for parts yet as they are still running strong. Brand new Kohler Command Pro CH22 engines are still available as well (really expensive, but available), and it seems like a much easier design to repower with a wider variety of engines if need be. There also seems to be more new parts still available then the 520-H has available. I understand the concern with XI exclusive components, but I have a feeling that more used XI stuff will start showing up during the next few years. It seems like I can keep the 522xi going at least that long without major problems. Someone suggested that the Kohler Command Pro engines are good for 2000+ hours when properly maintained. Mine is at about 800. I will post some pics this weekend and share some final thoughts after I get a couple of good work days out of the (new) 522xi.

I've often thought about going thru the pic gallery and deleting all the "empty" posts. Many pics posted thru a host site such as Photo-bucket get lost if the owner moves his gallery around within Photo-bucket. The link is broken and the pic is lost. Its a massive chore to just delete those posts, not a one man task. But we still need a place for those "incorrect machines" (most of mine are incorrect). I cant speak for the whole Admin/Moderator team but I like where this could go. Mike..........

The bottom line is it takes time. When I first got into collecting I emersed myself in it. Researching everything I could find. Downloading every picture I could find. Downloading every document about them. It actually consumed me. Going to show after show and speaking to whoever I could. There are a bunch of guys on here that really know a lot of the history and really intricate quirky back story on Wheel Horse Tractors. Seek the out and pick their brains!

Once mounted I plan on large fender washers to spread the load. I think I can get them from McMaster Carr but haven't looked yet. I also plan on using timmerman nuts to hold the bolts from falling out of the fender during install. That way they will act like studs. Then I can cut those nuts after removing the cab for the summer. They are cheap. Got it on the tractor. and all the holes drilled. Now I have to get the tractor back to the way it was to show it at the Steam Pageant in 2 weeks. after that I'll remount the front half and then make mods so PTO and lift handle clear the frame.

Dennis, you have a wonderful idea. Looking forward to seeing what you (and other WH guru's) come up with. I think most will still visit here on the forum...I certainly will, but I would also like to know more about my machines without having to ask a specific question.

I am purchasing my first Wheel Horse 417-8 tonight to mow my lawn of my house I just purchased and the owner says that the motor was swapped to a 14hp Kohler (unknown why smaller motor) and the tractor only has one speed and the choke does not work because of the motor swap. I have no idea on the model Kohler motor that is in it, but what do I need to look for tonight when I see it? I know my info is vague, but I am hoping I can get some pointers.

Just picked this craftsman up believe it to be a early 60's cannot find any info for sure though, has a strange wind up lever on motor then a release lever to start instead of a pull start but don't see any other tags with the body on it other than 6 hp. pretty cool looking though.

Nics Lawn Ranger has always been able to hold its own. Probably my favorite Wheel Horse of all time...

The biggest variable on the value of a Wheel Horse seems to be geographic, if they are scarce in your area they can command a strong price. The other primary factor is the quality of the "restoration". Some people consider a quick repaint to be a restoration.

did you try the mower? Whats the pipe around the steering wheel shaft? Mower deck, no belt guards, motor unknown, not good, Imho. Sound good, shift good, hi range low range good? Oil, engine and trans clean, no funny smells? Just asking, hate to see you get stuck. It would be a bad first wheel horse experience. Havent you seen anything else? glenn

Well I went to see it. It needs a decent amount to be "nice". He was looking for $300 for it. I told him the cables and guard would be needed but it ran through all the gears. 996 hours on the chassis, motor is unknown but i took a couple more pics. I didnt tell him no yet but i doubt he will take less money.

Yes it is , I snapped a couple more for 'ya : You can see the sky-way in the last one .

I am too! Right now i'm dealing with either a bone chip or spur on my elbow and it's playing the tendons like a guitar string every time I even move my right arm! Needless to say i'm out of commission for any work for a while. If it wasn't for my kids I would have never been able to pick this up not to mention getting the little dozer in the back of my truck. Right now it's just a plan that's got a little motion. I'll have the kids load it into the back of my truck next week, then they'll have to off load it at the blaster. Same thing when he's done with it. That will be as far as it goes till the Dr. figures out what he's going to do to my arm. I go back to see him on Monday and we'll see what happens then. He talking about a cortisone injection but if it's only a temporary thing I'd rather have him do surgery and just fix it the first time.

Walk away! There are better tractors out there.

Usually this transmission is turned the other way from the configuration that I have in my tractor that would put this plug and the intended use of the port (for an expansion tank) on the top instead of the bottom. On the opposite side of the transmission (on my machine and facing up) is the normal smaller 1/4 NPT drain plug, again on my machine configuration this 1/4 port is used for the expansion tank. It really does not matter what configuration the transmission is in it will work fine either way as long as there is room for oil expansion.

I'm subscribing to this channel! Awesome!

Nice....very very nice, wish my "67 looked like that!....Some day possibly!

With the color enhancements, it looks like those would have come straight from the brochures! Looking great!

Holy cow!!! I go to bed and come down to find all this going on. Dennis, we already have excellent people behind us...out standing.

Excellent James...I think you have some calendar shots there.

By the time you pay a professional to repair, it may be less expensive to look for a used replacement deck.

I'm not sure its rare. Rare rarely matters if its not a tractor that is desirable and value is always a reflection of desirability.. Most models were only made for one year... With that said an 800 Special is a pretty neat little tractor. I'm pretty sure they had a Briggs motor and maybe electric pto clutch? Most guys here don't go nuts for Briggs powered Wheel Horse's...

You did a great job of restoring this machine!

Just took a look at your herd and also noticed how much younger you are! Yeah! We need some youngster to carry on when us old folks are gone! <grin> I also see that you will be a great source of info for this project right after the RJs are done! Suburbans next I suppose! By the way, I just dragged home a sister to your favorite, a 654. Needs a lot of work but restorable. Thanks! Someone or group already spent a ton of time on the AllYearsWheelHorse spreadsheet. Tremendously helpful! I'd love to give credit if I only knew! I just hope to add to it and help start a photo database to support it. And certainly there's far more to this group's forum than just IDing photos one at a time. Thanks and please help with what you can! Dennis Thornton

Here's the two manuals I have always gone by when rebuilding. Always have over-torqued 20% and re-torqued to spec., as suggested in the newer manual (2nd one). Never did notice any burrs so never did any of that. http://www.mywheelhorse.com/graphics/file/Engines/Kohler_K91-141-161-181-241-301-321_1972-SM-2.pdf http://www.mywheelhorse.com/graphics/file/Engines/Kohler_K91-141-161-181-241-301-321-341_tp_2379_SM.pdf This time of year just make sure to fill the engine with straight 30w oil, run for 5 hours with the deck engaged, and then do an oil change.

The easiest way to ID any Wheel Horse tractor..... Just post a thread here on RedSquare about the tractor with a pic or two and... Woolaa --- You will get all the information you need. Doesn't get any easier than that! RJs and Suburbans has already been done, I'll find the list and things to look for about them and post it here when I do.

...and to think... we thought Dino plowing with no socks was bad.

RULE #1...WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER!!! RULE #2...YOUR COMFORT MATTERS!!! RULE #3...DON'T FORGET THE CHOCKS!!!

Or go Electric! http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/34909-installelectric-fuel-pump-on-a-c-160/ http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/38994-electric-fuel-pump-revisited/

Just bought this wheel horse anyone tell me anything about it. It runs and drives has a plow but no mower deck, needs a new rear tire other than that it's in great shape, planning on using it to plow my driveway with

Getting everything all cleaned up and ready for paint and hopefully order all the bearings and seals tomorrow. I have used some paints in the past but have not been impressed by the durability of it or the long lasting color. It looked kind of faded even just being out in the sun a few times here and there. It was very cheap paint but what do you recommend? Thanks

It worked amazing! I just cut a little slit for a screw driver in the end of the broken bolt and did the battery thing and it came right out! Thanks so much Garry! I am not worried about the broken off ear on the cast iron case. Here's the video. https://youtu.be/9eICuoKmLeQ

Got a spare battery with a fair bit of charge in it and a set of booster cables? Clean that cast boss up that the set screw is in so a booster cable clamped to it will make a good electrical connection and the other end to one battery post. Shine up the end of the broken set screw. Place a spare piece of steel rod or flat stock you don't care about in the other booster cable and the other end of the cable to the other battery post. It is going to arc and spark when you hold the steel rod to the set screw for a count of about two. Battery current will try to flow through the set screw, through the rust to the cast iron. The rust is resistance to current flow and will create heat right where you want it. Let it cool because it will be hot. You might be able to thread the set screw out with your fingers because it was loose in the threads when it was installed. You may need to try a second time. Often the rust will blow out as soon as the current hits it. Garry

SML 506 WH 50" sickle bar mower.

Wheel Horse SMS-50 Sickle Bar Mower:

the co worker I repaired this deck for finally got some paint on it and the finished product is pretty darn sweet!! in good light and at the certain angle if your looking you can pick out a few spots but after the first mow and a little dirt you will never know. here are some more photos